Perhaps
by IllusionedPhoenix
Summary: Perhaps, she could love him again. [Classic SakuSyao pairing, mild hint of TomoyoEriol]
1. Chapter 1

**Perhaps...**

To be honest, she thought she'd never love again. After all, when the one you've loved for almost _two decades_ breaks your heart, it's kind of difficult to mend it, isn't it?

She smiled sadly, almost bitterly, at the cast grey sky overhead, and stirred her coffee once, twice. The weather did nothing to help her sorrowful mood, though a bright, cheerful sunny day would have done her no good either. In fact, it would have just irked her more.

She watched as outside the warm, cozy café, people and umbrellas alike struggled against the blowing winds. The café was filling up now, as more and more people came in to escape the cold and flying parcels. And that was when she spotted him.

He was still the same as ever, messy chestnut brown hair and auburn eyes, but he'd grown more than a foot since she'd last seen him. Waving him over, she grinned at him delightfully, and he laughed back, eyes dancing.

"So what brings you here?" she asked, stirring her coffee meditatively.

"Just a craving for coffee and toast," he replied, placing an order with a captivated waitress.

She laughed, and his eyes softened a fraction. "Broke up with him, I suppose?" He was now digging in his pocket for lost coins.

She bit into her ginger biscuit. "I knew you'd be able to read me."

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, m'dear."

"Am I that obvious?"

"Of course. And don't attempt to change the subject." His tone was somber, and she took the hint.

"Fine," she sighed. "And yes, I told him yesterday, at the park. I suppose Tomoyo must've set us up, because there was no way I'd be able to meet him there by chance." The biscuit crackled under her teeth. "It was kind of difficult to gather up the courage, but in the end I told him, and–"

She broke off with a sigh and a wistful glance outside, and he watched her, hands on autopilot and eyes never moving from her. The smell of freshly baked bread filled the silence between them, and she took another sip of her coffee, eyes not meeting his.

"Have you told Tomoyo yet?" She turned, startled, and shook her head, before turning her face to her coffee and lapsing back into silence.

He asked no more questions, and the silence continued for the rest of their meal, but she could have fancied that his hand had brushed against hers more often than it normally did. And perhaps it was her imagination, but occasionally she thought she'd seen a little bit of annoyance hiding in the depths of his eyes, before he'd notice her staring and push it down.

They exited the café in silence, and he automatically stuck his hands in his pockets, and looked at her enquiringly. She shook her head and smiled softly. "I'll be fine," she said. "Don't worry, I won't kill myself." The corners of his mouth tilted up ever so slightly, but she noticed that his eyes still bore that worried expression that she knew so well.

She patted him gently on the arm, and he gave a resigned look. "Well, I suppose," he said, the rest of his sentence going unspoken. Then he took her by the arm, and pushed her gently in the direction of Tomoyo's house. "She wants to speak to you," he said, and disappeared in the opposite direction before she could ask any questions.

Later, at Tomoyo's house, she discovered that not only was Tomoyo unaware of what had transpired during her confession, but she had also not professed a desire to speak to her. As the two girls sat across from each other, staring in surprise, it occurred to both of them that _maybe_, he was so concerned about her than he'd have to get her to Tomoyo's house to make sure that she was safe.

Once they'd both come to that realization, Tomoyo's lips had curved up into a whoop of joy and laughter, and before she could say anything, Tomoyo was dancing around the room, yelling "He likes you!!!" for all the world to hear.

"Tomoyo!" she'd protested, but her friend, deaf to her protests, merely grabbed her hands and twirled her around the room.

Even as she'd protested, blushing, she couldn't help but wonder if he really loved her.

Staring out of the window at the starry night sky, she leaned on her hand and sighed dreamily, a smile curving at her lips. Perhaps, tomorrow, she'd meet him at the café, and then they'd go on a walk and she'd tell him what she'd learnt, and then, _perhaps_, he'd tell her what was the emotion hiding in the depths of his eyes every time he heard her talking about her two-decade-old love, or why his eyes softened in a way different from the way Tomoyo's eyes or Yukito's eyes softened.

And then, perhaps, she'd be able to tell him about the little seed of emotion buried in the depths of her heart, quietly blossoming during the past decade or so since she'd known him.

And then, perhaps, she'd love again.

Author's Note: This is my first fic that I've actually posted on FanFiction, so please excuse me if this isn't up to standard. And this didn't go past a beta reader. Please review so that I may know how to improve further!


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe 

Perhaps he'd tell her.

Or maybe…perhaps not.

He laughed bitterly at himself. _What a fool you are_, he told himself mentally. _Imagine what Mother and the Elders would say if they saw you like this, a sentimental doddering old fool_ [XDD I can't help it, I love this phrase!_ worrying not about his future and the Clan's future, but about whether or not he should tell _her_ what he feels!_

In truth, that particular stretch of green embroidered carpet might have just disintegrated under his feet, had the phone not rung with an astonishingly shocking vibrancy. Nearly tripping over his own two feet in a hasty bid to get to the phone, he picked it up. "Hello?"

"This is Daidouji." He groaned mentally and whacked himself on the forehead.

"What exactly do you want now?" He could almost _hear_ her smug grin through the phone line.

"You lied to her, didn't you? Telling her that I wanted to speak to her." The tinny voice was dripping with laughter and smugness.

He groaned again, and whacked himself harder on the forehead. What exactly had he been thinking back then? "I wasn't thinking too clearly back then, okay? Blame the coffee!"

Laughter filled the speakers. "_Liar_. I must admit that she _is_ particularly slow for someone her age, but even _she_ was able to figure out why exactly you sent her over to my house. You're pretty obvious."

_Mental note to self: NEVER EVER EVER EVER send her to Daidouji's house without clearing it with Daidouji first. Or else I would end up with a singularly unattractive red forehead again._ "I _know_." Daidouji was laughing again. He growled, wishing that Wei would just hurry up and _come home_ so that he could get off the phone with this mad woman!

And then, she sobered up. His ears, particularly grateful for the lack of clear ringing laughter, picked up on it immediately. "What's this now?"

"You'd better tell her soon."

If he'd placed a mirror directly opposite the telephone, he would have seen that his jaw had dropped way past its usual place. "_What_?"

"You heard me." Her tone was somber, and very direct.

There was an uncomfortable pause, as he struggled to come up with a comeback, but had to settle for a feeble "You're joking, right?"

"I'm not." He frowned slightly. Her tone was part warning, part yearning and part sorrow. "She's suffering a little, guilt overload and all. To fall for someone almost directly after you've been rejected…she's having a hard time accepting it."

His brows furrowed deeper. "Where's she now?"

"Her usual place. The park."

"Swings?"

"Yeah." There was a brief pause. "Don't break her heart."

"Don't worry, I won't."

She hesitated slightly, then said, "Thanks." A brief rush of static indicated a slight intake of breath, and she smiled weakly. It must be hard for him to accept the fact that she, queen of ice and his beloved's best friend and part-caretaker, part-guardian, was actually _thanking_ him for that assurance.

_She's actually worried that she can't help heal her heart,_ he realized, and his lips curved into the first grin he'd worn for days.

"I hear that Hiiragizawa's gonna come back soon." His grin morphed into a full blown smirk. It was obvious to all who were listening that the queen was blushing.

"I-I- So what? I-I don't care what he's doing!" She blushed even harder when she heard his whoop of laughter coming over the phone. Ohh, he was _so_ gonna get it when they met again!

Author's Note: this was seriously very very very random! Constructive criticism please, and I'd like to hear your views on how the story should continue!


End file.
